American immigrants meet with immigration officials

There is still hope for family members to immigrate to the United States.

On June 28, 2009, 10, Obama signed into law the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, which for the first time granted living family members the right to obtain permanent residency in the United States after the death of the applicant or main beneficiary.

According to the new law, when the applicant or the main beneficiary dies, the following surviving family members (beneficiaries) can be protected by this law:

1. Parents, spouses and children of American citizens whose applications are pending or approved;

2. The main beneficiary or the following beneficiary whose application for relative immigration is pending or has been approved;

3. The main beneficiary or the following beneficiary whose professional immigration application is pending or has been approved;

4. The main beneficiary or subsequent beneficiary whose asylum/refugee application has been approved or pending approval;

5. Non-immigrants with T status (victims of smuggling) or U status (victims of crime).